A new class of highly dispersed VOx catalysts on mesoporous silica: Synthesis, characterization, and catalytic activity in the partial oxidation of ethanol

The morphology of vanadium oxide supported on a titania-modified mesoporous silica (MCM-41), obtained by means of a careful grafting process through atomic layer deposition, was studied using a variety of characterization techniques. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) together with transmission electron microscopy (TEM), 51V nuclear magnetic resonance (51V-NMR), Raman, FTIR and DRS-UV/Vis results showed that the vanadia species are extremely well dispersed onto the surface of the mesoporous support; the dispersion being stable upon thermal treatments up to 400 °C. Studies of the catalytic activity of these materials were performed using the partial oxidation of ethanol as a probe reaction. The results indicate an intrinsic relationship between dispersion, the presence of a TiO2–VOx phase, and catalytic activity for oxidation and dehydration.